Bendix ABS removal

Hi, My brother and I just picked up a 90 XJ with the Bendix ABS System. Between the 2 of us we have 3 XJs 87, 89, 90. The 89 is mine, and the other two are not on the road yet. We are also unsure which one (87 or 90) will be my brother's daily driver. The 87 has bad floors and the 90's are good. Both require some work but one will be for parts. Both were picked up for $500 CDN each.

If he decides he woud rather drive the 90, we would like to remove the ABS system and replace it with the one from the 87.
I have not seen too many detailed write ups on removing the ABS system. This is all I have found so far
link
I have been told that you can simply "unhook" the ABS and it will function as a standard system.

If anyone has any information they can share with me, that would be great.

Thanks, Adam

thanks, but that is the link I posted in my first post.

Sorry 'bout the link. As far as disconnecting it goes...It didn't work on my '90. with it disconected completely it didn't work at all and if everything but the pump was disconected they were unreliable. Sometimes they'd work sometimes not. Your best bet is to rip it all out and put in a standard booster and m/c. I went with the '96 and my brakes work better than ever. You'll have to bend some new hardlines but it's no big deal. If you have the tools and parts there and ready it can be done in a day.

ok, I'll see what we can do with it.

i totally took out the ABS in my 91' woody and put in a new master cylinder and booster. It was probably the best decision i ever made for my jeep. The braking is so much more powerful and i never worry if my jeep is going to stop today or not.

As the author of the mentioned article I do not know of any more detailed write-ups on the subject (though you might check MadXJ, if anyone else has a good write up they would). I will help with tech info where I can. Just drop me an e-mail when you put up a post or hit me back channel directly 'cause I don't get as much time to hit the boards these days.

When I went into this project, I was told anything from, "it can't be done, even we couldn't do it" from a Jeep dealer to, "just cut it out and put in the regular stuff and it should work..." from an old time mechanic.

As usual, the old timer was the closest to correct.

The Bendix system cannot be "simply unhooked" and still function as a regular system because there is no regular system. This lack of conventional backup is why the Bendix system is a POS deathtrap. You can remove the ABS fuse and disable the ABS function but you are still reliant on the pump, accumulator and modulator for you brake function. If you pull the ABS PUMP fuse, you will not have any brakes. The same can be said if the pump fuse blows, or if pump fails. I have BTDT and fortunately lived to tell about it.
I strongly recommend trashing the Bendix system on a trail rig or DD. It amazes me that more people have not been killed by this POS system. Somewhere there is an engineer that needs a small dose of Pb (22 cal should do it though 45 would do it better).

The actual replacement procedure is not hard. It is rather intuitive if you have average or above mechanical skills. The article I wrote is a scaffolding of the procedure. The fine points of the swap have to be done on the fly because of differences in the XJ from year to year.

Good luck.
Again, drop me a line and I'll help anyway I can. The less Bendix ABS stuff out there, the safer we all are.

Bones :skull1:


How are your brakes?




And the best reason to trash the Bendix system of all:

I wouldn't say I have average mechanical skills, but maybe basic. I have done the head gasket, front oil seal, rear main, front axle u-joints, valve cover gasket, and other misc. attach and go parts.

I have owned my XJ for just over a year now, and would have never attempted any of it, if it were not for the Jeep forums that I visit. Who encourage me and let me know just how easy these things can really be.

I wouldn't mind tackling the brake system. I just think it will be one of the harder things I will have done. The best route I think I can take, is removing the Bendix junk, and replacing it with standard equiptment.

I have come across a service manual for the Bendix system, and with it I think I will be able to locate and remove everything without hurting myself.

If I need any help or advice, I will let you know. 'Cause I most likely will

Thanks, Adam

RJ,
To me basic skills are changing tires, oil, and wiper blades. If you have R&R'ed a head gasket, you can do this brake swap with only the guide I wrote to help you.

Make sure to grab the non-ABS pedal assembly out of your year XJ.

I really think it helped using the same year non-ABS booster etc. the first time I did this, but if I were you, I would grab a '96 booster and master cylinder and gain the added braking it has to offer, instead of doing it twice as I did.

Bones :skull1:

i want to say something about the pedal. On my 91' briarwood i did NOT have to change out the pedal. It didnt match up if i did. You can grab it if you want since i dont know your system, but you might not need it.

Finally had an excuse to ditch the ABS, it quit working while driving down hill to an intersection. It took all I had with both legs to get it stopped. The swap took me a day and a half and is pretty easy, just rip out the ABS crap and install the standard parts in its place. I got the parts from an 88 at a U- Pull- It yard for $26. The best part of this swap is no more stupid WWWEEEERRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT noise when ever I touched the brake!!! The only thing that I can add is to make sure you check the ajustment on the white plastic switch for the TC lockup.

Iv got a 93 XJ with ABS and i can not stand it ! When ever u come to a stop or or going about 8mph or so it does this awful noise like blackinback said. Weeeeeeeeeeeerrrtttt. and if you touching the brake at all your going to stop instantly. is this normal? also when comming to a stop it feels like the brakes cut out for a second right before I stop? Is this normal????

I thought they got rid of the pump ABS in 91?

woodyjeep said:

i want to say something about the pedal. On my 91' briarwood i did NOT have to change out the pedal. It didnt match up if i did. You can grab it if you want since i dont know your system, but you might not need it.

Click to expand...

Difference in years and in parts used on the different trim in XJ's is why I wrote the article as a scaffold and not a play-by-play how to.
In my set up, I would have liked to use the ABS pedal as it incorporated a helper spring for pedal return. The connecting pin was the problem. It was about 1" off from the placement of the non-ABS booster pushrod.
I also know of problems with the pre'91 set up when going to the newer booster and pedal set up since there was a big switch in the wiring and switch stuff for brake, t-converter, and cruise systems. Those of us with the '91 set up had it easy compared to the older set ups that may require modification to the installed pedal set up to make it work. Having the pedal assembly from a non-ABS of the recipient XJ year, and one of the donor XJ year may make that swap easier, by either using the set that works or at least having a template from which to work.

Bones :skull1:

Schofield pass, site of CO's worst off-road crash (A family of 7 died)...


Black Bear Pass, over rated but still deadly


Rusty Nail, what a head trip! (left 12" = down over 200')


Brake problems suck!

woodyjeep said:

i want to say something about the pedal. On my 91' briarwood i did NOT have to change out the pedal. It didnt match up if i did. You can grab it if you want since i dont know your system, but you might not need it.

Click to expand...

what's a TC Lockup?

backinblack said:

Finally had an excuse to ditch the ABS, it quit working while driving down hill to an intersection. It took all I had with both legs to get it stopped. The swap took me a day and a half and is pretty easy, just rip out the ABS crap and install the standard parts in its place. I got the parts from an 88 at a U- Pull- It yard for $26. The best part of this swap is no more stupid WWWEEEERRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT noise when ever I touched the brake!!! The only thing that I can add is to make sure you check the ajustment on the white plastic switch for the TC lockup.

Click to expand...

opps

this is the one I meant to quote

So...what's a TC Lockup?

he is talking about how on the pedal there is a white plasitc piece where the pedal and booster link up too.

Does anyone know how to get rid of that awfull weeeerrrrt noise and the brakes get all stiff when it does that??? any ideas? this is on a 93 XJ with abs

hello, new to site. 99' cherokee and hate the abs offroad. Is the abs system different from previous models? can i shut it off only when offroad and on when on the black crap? or just pull system out? thanks

john mitchell said:

opps

this is the one I meant to quote

So...what's a TC Lockup?

Click to expand...

Torque Converter if your running the AW4 automatic.